With the development of any big city, there can be real estate casualties. Expressways cut through once-quiet enclaves. People move to the suburbs, taking their patronage with them. Big-box stores put small retailers out of business.
It can be easy for some areas to get swallowed up or marginalized. But with the help of investors and determined residents, a good number of these distinctive neighborhoods are reinventing themselves and being rediscovered by a new generation of visitors.
Downtown Miami on the Edge
Arty, hip and compelling, the Design District and Wynwood Arts District have emerged as one of Greater Miami’s most popular dining and entertainment hubs. Following in the steps of South Beach, and indeed conceived by the same team of developers, these once blighted areas, forgotten by locals and ignored by tourists, have been reborn as hip, happening, must-see spots on Miami’s cultural map.
Set just north of the downtown hub but considered part of downtown Miami, Wynwood and the Design District have joined other emerging downtown enclaves, including the Arts and Entertainment District, home to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, and Midtown Miami, where glass-and-steel condos, showrooms and trendy restaurants have replaced abandoned storefronts. Radically transforming the cityscape for 40-plus blocks, these vibrant enclaves are fully invested in the future of the “Magic City,” and it shows.
“Downtown is really coming on strong, especially in neighborhoods like Wynwood and the Design District,” says Barry Moskowitz, vice president of convention and group sales for the Greater Miami CVB. “They’re up-and-coming and thriving, and there’s no slowing it down.”PageBreak
Wynwood Arts District
In a relatively short time, Wynwood has vaulted from downtrodden drive-by to acclaimed center for the arts. A former manufacturing area known as “Little San Juan” or “El Barrio” due to its strong Puerto Rican population, the neighborhood was given new life by South Beach developer Tony Goldman, who looked at the area’s neglected warehouses and shuttered factories and saw giant canvases.
“He came up with the mural idea and brought it to fruition,” says George Neary, associate vice president of cultural tourism for the Greater Miami CVB, referring to the enormous, colorful and compelling works of art that have taken over building walls throughout the neighborhood, created by street and graffiti artists from not only the U.S. but Brazil, Belgium, Mexico, Portugal, Greece Spain, Germany, France and Japan. “That led to even more art venues coming in, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Rubell Family Collection and the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse.”
The latter refers to an extensive collection of contemporary and vintage photography, video and sculpture from the holdings of Miami real estate developer and art collector Martin Z. Margulies.
Today, the Wynwood Arts District is home to more than 70 art galleries and four museums, including the acclaimed Center for Visual Communication, which recently exhibited the spectacular images of landscape photographer Clyde Butcher, and Gary Nader Fine Art, where a 55,000-square-foot exhibition space showcases contemporary and Latin American art. Mitrani Warehouse, Locust Projects, A. Dale Nally Studio and Gregg Shienbaum Fine Art are just a few of the galleries making artistic waves here. Some galleries are by appointment only while others keep regular hours, but groups can take in several venues at once during Wynwood’s Second Saturday Art Walks.
You also might catch the next superstar of the art world in Wynwood’s Bakehouse Art Complex, an artists’ collective housed in, yes, a former bakery warehouse and dedicated to giving emerging and mid-career artists the opportunity to develop their talents by providing affordable studios, exhibition galleries and professional development opportunities. Visitors are encouraged to browse and watch the artists at work, or if you call ahead, a group tour can be arranged.PageBreak
The Design District
Bordering Wynwood to the north, the Design District stays true to its name as a crossroads for new concepts in interior and fashion design. While Wynwood’s renaissance began with Tony Goldman, the Design District’s ascent started with developer Craig Robins.
“[He] cut his teeth in South Beach and the Art Deco District,” Neary says. “Then he took that ethic to the Design District. He has an amazing eye for art and culture, shops and designers, and artists from all over the world.”
Robins, the CEO of Miami-based Dacra, a real estate development company known for its cultivation of “creative communities,” says the area is a great place to spend a couple of hours in Miami.
“It’s chic, central, relaxed,” he says, adding that it’s due for further growth. “We’re planning more luxury retail, a hotel and residences but also a continuous evolution of the area, and that includes public art projects, beautiful architecture, green spaces,” Robins says. “It’s about creating a thriving neighborhood.”
Robins’ vision is clear to those strolling the bustling streets of the District, passing showrooms and galleries filled with incredibly inventive objets d’art and textiles. Catch the latest (and future) looks in home decor at designer showrooms like FENDI Casa, Ligne Roset, mobili moderni and Poltrona Frau. Stop in at Markowicz Fine Art, home to pop art and works from the Mourlot collection of French lithographs, or linger at the De La Cruz Collection, which supports the local arts scene by providing artist residencies while promoting the arts through lectures, artist-led workshops and docent-led tours by request.
Meanwhile, the lighter side of art is celebrated at Swampspace Gallery, an artist-run space that calls itself the “un-gallery” as it presents cutting-edge exhibitions.
The many galleries of the Design District are showcased during Art + Design Night, featuring gallery walks, that, like Wynwood, are held the second Saturday of every month.
In addition to the visual, applied and decorative arts, cultural happenings take place all over the Design District as well. At the Haitian Heritage Museum, frequent festivals complement the museum’s collection of paintings, artifacts, music, films and literary works. You might also catch a poetry reading or theater performance at Etra Fine Art, where walls are filled with jaw-dropping works of art.
Or head south a few blocks to O Cinema in Wynwood, screening new works, classics, rarely seen films and newly restored master works.PageBreak
Shopping & Dining
On the other hand, if a good old-fashioned shopping expedition is on the agenda, the Design District is a retail nirvana, with boutiques that represent the top names in fashion: Christian Louboutin, Celine, Marni, Anya Ponorovskaya, Sebastien James and En Avance. And the list grows longer seemingly by the day, as the roster recently expanded to include Louis Vuitton, Prada and the new kid on the fashion block, Hermes.
After exploring the worlds of art and design, it’s easy to make an evening of it in the Design District and neighboring Wynwood. Specialties from the wood oven and daily fresh offerings from local farmers and fishermen are on the menu at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, helmed by James Beard Award-winning chef/owner Michael Schwartz. Schwartz is also the culinary mastermind behind the casual Harry’s Pizzeria, serving up hand-formed pizzas using dough made in-house daily. Diners wash them down with a rotating tap of local and craft beers before rounding the meal off with daily biscotti and zeppole.
There are dozens of other dining choices here as well, from Egyptian pizza and vegetarian delights to Latin favorites and Caribbean cuisine.
In Wynwood, the claim to the “best pizza in Miami” is made by Joey’s, whose thin-crust pies have won rave reviews from critics and diners alike. The menu also includes classic Italian dishes served indoors or al fresco on a garden terrace.
Also in Wynwood, Cafeina is equal parts lounge, gallery, tapas-style restaurant and event space, where miniature Angus sliders are savored under a dramatic chandelier and the bar serves up cocktails like cafe con leche martinis and pomegranate mojitos. Outside, an old-school DJ spins vinyl on a turntable, while a more tranquil ambience awaits in Cafeina’s gallery, featuring a rotating collection of drawings, paintings, photographs, installations and electronic media by local and international artists.
